Education Programs
Naturalists at the Wilds have developed a number of programs to take advantage of our “living laboratory”. Programs are also designed to align with Ohio’s academic content standards, so they fit in easily with classroom curriculum.
When you plan a visit to the Wilds with your class or youth group (i.e, Day Venture, overnight camp, Safari Transport tour or other programs), we’ll give you the chance to choose from these curriculum-based education programs to supplement your learning adventure:
| PROGRAM INFO | KEYWORDS/TOPICS | OHIO STANDARDS ITEMS |
Cavities -- Not all cavities are bad | ||
| Season: Spring Time Required: 2 hours Age Group: 4th – 8th Day or Overnight: Both |
Nest box, Competition, Habitat Loss, Ecology, Bluebird, Predation, Parasitism, Wildlife Management | Data Collection / Avian Biology / Habitat Components / Reproduction / Inter-specific Competition / Human Impacts / Native vs Exotic / History of Land Use / Observation Skills / Species Inter-dependence / |
Astronomy -- Night Sky | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 1.5 hours Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Space, Navigation, Constellations, Planisphere, Lunar Phases, Telescope | Polaris / Planet Rotation / Solar System / Parallax / Light Years / Star Motion / Season Changes / Mars Retrograde Orbit / Latitude / Milky Way Galaxy / |
Stream Exploration -- a.k.a. Squeaky Sneakers |
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| Season: Any Time Required: 2 hours Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Habitat, Nets, Field Guide, Data Collection, Sampling, Research, Nature Journal, Field ID, Riparian | Protist / Crustacean / Ichthyology / Invertebrate / Field Sketching / Microscope / Characteristic Observation / Adaptation / Substrate / Aquatic vs Terrestrial / Food Chains / Indicator Species / Taxonomy |
Night Hike -- Owl Prowl / Wolf Pack | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 1.5 hours Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Nocturnal, Frogs, Owls, Wolves, Listening, Rugged Trails, Overcoming Fears of Night | Sensory Perception / Territory / Natural History / Folk History / Visual & Aural Function / Anatomy of the Eye / Adaptations / Food Habits / Diurnal / Crepuscular |
Interpretive Hike -- Nature Guides | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 1.5 hours Age Group: Any Day or Overnight: Both |
Edibles, Tracks, Trees, Wildflowers, Natural History, Herptiles, Bird Watching | Sensory Perception / Observational Skills / Folk History / Natural History / Animal Behavior / Habitats / Ecosystem / Values of the Land / Social Attitudes toward Wildlife / Medicinal Plants / |
Salamander Habitat Assessment -- Who's Home is This? |
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| Season: Any Time Required: 2.5 hours Age Group: 7th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Niche, Surveys, Microhabitat, Measurement, Salamanders, Research, Capture Techniques, Quality, Snakes, Birds | Habitat Components / Indicator Species / Survey Standardization / Observation Skills / Data Collection / Data Assimilation / Food Habits / Ecosystem / Field Sketching / Soils |
Aquatic Ecology -- What's in the Water? | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 2.5 hours Age Group: 6th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
PH, Acidity, Dissolved Oxygen, Inter-relationships, Wetlands, Ecosystem, Impacts, Ecology | Water Chemistry / Environmental Impacts / Ecosystem Inter-relationships / Turbidity / Algae / Test Comparison / Data Analysis / Limnology / Wetland Succession / Indicator Species / Species Requirements |
GPS / GIS -- Where in the World? | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 2.5 hours Age Group: GPS: 6th - 12th; GIS 8th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Mapping, Measurement, Satellites, Technology Application, Habitat Type, Surveys | Spatial Awareness / Navigation / Map Reading / Cartography / Global Positioning / Longitude & Latitude / Geometric Triangulation / Linear & Area Measurement |
Biodiversity | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 3 hours Age Group: 8th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Diversity, Surveys, Measurement, Field ID, Graph Plotting, Habitat, Sampling, Ecosystems | Habitat / Producers / Survey Standardization / Data Collection & Analysis / Communities / Species Area Curve / Conservation of BD |
Genetics -- Rhinos in Jeans | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 3 hours Age Group: 7th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Genetics, In-Breeding, Diversity, Genotype, Electrophoresis, Games, Rhino Facility Visit | Genes / Phenotype / Genotype / Auto-Rad / Traits / In-Breeding / Variability / Alleles / Endangered Species / Heredity / Gene Pool |
Wildlife Capture -- Catch 'em Alive | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 2.5 hours Age Group: 4th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Live-Trapping, Tagging, Home Range, Natural History, Wildlife Diseases, Population | Capture & Marking Techniques / Health & Safety Issues / Animal Welfare Issues / Data Collection / Population Estimation / Wildlife Natural History / Animal Behavior / Laws |
WildCrafts | ||
| Season: Fall Time Required: 2.5 hours Age Group: 4th - 8th Day or Overnight: Both |
Native vs Alien Plants, Plant ID, Fibers, Materials, Loom, Dyes, Lashing, Clay | Native Material Art / Folklore / Primitive Tool Use / Creative Expression / Invasive Plant Biology / Natural Resource Use / |
Rappelling | ||
| Season: Spring & Summer; Dry Conditions Only Time Required: 3.5 hours Age Group: 6th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Rope Safety, Trust, Challenge, Eight Ring, Belay, Fears | Physical Skills / Team Work / Health & Safety Issues / Physics / Kilo-Newtons / Cliff Site Ecology / Geology |
Canoeing | ||
| Season: May - Sept Time Required: 2 hours Age Group: 4th - 12th Day or Overnight: Overnight |
Paddle Skills, Safety, Boarding, Shifting, Righting, Emergencies, Fun | Physical Skills Practice / Team Work / Health & Safety Issues / Wildlife Observation / |
Predator Prey Games | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 1 hour Age Group: Any Day or Overnight: Both |
Food Chains, Genetics, Populations, Behavior, Fun | Food Habits / Population Cycles / Animal Behavior / Natural Selection / Extinction / Physical Skills / Exercise |
Wilderness Survival | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 1 hour Age Group: 6th – 12th Day or Overnight: Both |
Fire, Shelter, Water, Edibles, Navigation, Signaling for Help, Panic | Habitat / Physical Skills / Situational Awareness / Reasoning / Observational Skills / Health & Safety Issues / Poisonous Plants / Folklore / Native American History |
Dung Tells a Story | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 1 hour Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Both |
Ruminant, Scat, Disease, Digestion, Food Habits, Microscope | Gastro-Intestinal Biology / Food Habits / Health Issues / Ecology / Anatomy & Physiology |
Horns & Antlers | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: .5 hour Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Both |
Headgear Formation, Uses, Species, Ungulate, Bovid | Species Differences & Identification / Nutrients / Anatomy / Animal Behavior / |
Tooth Types | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: .5 hour Age Group: 4th – 9th Day or Overnight: Both |
Incisor, Molar, Canine, Dental Formulae, Food Habits, Species, Eruption | Anatomy & Physiology / Aging Characteristics / Food Habits / Species Identification / Tooth Functions |
Skulls | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: .5 hour Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Both |
Field ID, Aging, Species, Owl Pellets, Tooth Wear, Terminology | Species Identification / Anatomy / Taxonomy / Ossification / Wildlife Disease Issues / Animal Behavior |
Orienteering -- Where am I? | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: 2 hours Age Group: 6th – 12th Day or Overnight: Both |
Compass, Topographic Map, Bearing, Navigation, Magnetics, Contour Interval | Cartography / Map Reading / Spatial Awareness / Physical Skills / Safety Issues / Longitude & Latitude / Earth Sciences |
Field Journal -- Provided for all Overnight Camps | ||
| Season: Any Time Required: N/A Age Group: 4th – 12th Day or Overnight: Both |
Creative Writing, Data Collection, Field Sketching, Note-Keeping, Quiz Questions | Writing Skills / Reasoning & Analytic Skills / Drawing Skills / Aesthetic Values / Student Evaluation |